Computers and computing devices are susceptible to a variety of security threats and/or vulnerabilities. Confidential information on a computer may be stolen by others, either through the efforts of intrusive malware or through failure on the part of the computer user to maintain the physical security of the computer. Executable programs or scripts may be covertly installed on the computer, for example in the form of a Trojan embedded in a free downloaded application. These covertly installed programs or scripts may execute and cause harm or loss of service to the computer. These covertly installed programs or scripts may execute and perform illegitimate and/or illegal actions on behalf of others unassociated with the computer, for example those who covertly installed the programs or scripts on the computer.
To promote computer security, enterprises may execute security checks on computers connected to their internal or private networks. The security checks may involve installing and/or updating malware detection applications such as virus detection applications on these computers connected to their internal network. As security threats evolve, the enterprise may transmit updated security applications and/or patches to the computers connected to their private network to address the evolving security threats. These enterprises may provide firewalls at the point where their private networks connect to the Internet or public networks.
Credit card institutions may impose security rules and regulations on retailers who collect payment for goods and services paid for by their customers with credit card. To assure compliance with the security rules, the credit card institutions may require periodic auditing of the retailers. Retailers may be stratified into different classes or merchant categories based on a number of credit card transactions per unit of time. Different rules and/or auditing procedures may be imposed on the retailer based on their classification level.